September 4, 2009 - News of the Day ... LA Community Policing

Circuit Judge Daniel Dawson instead urged the lawyers, the girl, her parents and the pastors to settle the custody issue in mediation.

In the meantime, Fathima Rifqa Bary was ordered to remain under the jurisdiction of Florida's Department of Children and Families.

The teenager, who goes by the name of Rifqa, has told Florida authorities that she fled her home in July because she had secretly converted to Christianity and that her father was bound by his Muslim faith kill her for leaving Islam.

She was discovered living with Christian pastor, Blake Lorenz, and his wife, Beverly, who Rifqa said she met online.

Dawson sealed a report about the girl today, just hours before the hearing. The report on Rifqa Bary was carried out by the Florida Department of Law Enforcement.

Also before today's hearing, Rifqa's father spoke out for the first time on national television to "Good Morning America," saying his daughter's claims are completely "not true" and that she is being manipulated by people in the Christian community.

The Barys blame the girl's actions on the Lorenzes and believe the Lorenzes coaxed her into claiming the honor killing, though they admit they would prefer if their daughter was Muslim.

"She is free to practice whatever she believes in," Mohamed Rifqa said. "No problem. She can practice in my house. I have no problem.

"We love her. It's our daughter. She being a Christian doesn't mean she's not my daughter," he said.

An attorney for the Lorenzes had no comment on allegations that they're coaching the 17-year-old.

Raising Stakes: Sexual, Physical Abuse Claims

The teen and her lawyer raised the stakes for the hearing in documents filed this week, accusing her family of physical and sexual abuse and claiming that they are involved with an Islamic extremist organization.

John Stemberger, Bary's lawyer, told ABCNews.com the teen was sexually and physically abused by her relatives.

Rifqa "was sexually abused by her uncle and the mother was aware and never reported it," Stemberger said. "There was physical abuse by the father. He smacked her with great force, enough to slam her across the room.

"One time he asked her to wear the Islamic headdress, and she basically scooted down in the car so she couldn't be seen because she was embarrassed by it and he punched her with full force using his fist across the side of her face," Stemberger said.

Craig McCarthy, the lawyer representing Bary's parents, Mohamed and Aysha, did not return phone calls from ABC News seeking comment, but the parents have denied ever mistreating or threatening Bary.

The documents filed Monday also claim that the Noor Center, the mosque where Bary's parents are "devoted members and followers," has ties to terrorist groups.

The documents describe the Noor Center as "one of the primary sources of Islamic extremism in central Ohio."

Station fire an act of arson, sheriff's officials say

Investigators found incendiary material near the point of origin of the largest brush fire in the history of Los Angeles County. More than 147,000 acres have burned.

A mammoth forest fire that killed two firefighters and has burned more than 147,000 acres was an act of arson, authorities said Thursday as they launched a homicide investigation into the deaths.

Officials said they determined that the largest brush fire in the history of Los Angeles County was the result of arson after investigators examined forensic evidence from scorched landscape off Angeles Crest Highway, north of La Cañada Flintridge. The spot is believed to be the source of origin of the Station fire.

A source close to the investigation said investigators found incendiary material near the site. The source, who asked not to be identified because he was not authorized to discuss the matter, would not be more specific or identify the material.

Los Angeles County Sheriff Lee Baca said investigators don't want to release details out of fear it could hurt their ability to find and prosecute an arsonist.

Baca stressed that the homicide probe is still wide open, saying investigators believe the fire was set deliberately by someone intent on triggering a devastating blaze but that there is a possibility it could have been sparked accidentally by a negligent person. Either way, the sheriff said the department could pursue homicide charges.

"If an arsonist did this, everyone should be angry about it," Baca told The Times. "This is one of the most unacceptable crimes."

On Wednesday, authorities cordoned off an area near Mile Marker 29 along Angeles Crest Highway with yellow tape, blocking the highway as investigators searched through the ash under a scorched oak tree using wire mesh sifters. Even Caltrans workers were turned away.

The probe has been complicated somewhat by the fact that fire burned over the point of origin twice, making the collection of evidence difficult, other sources familiar with the investigation told The Times.

The arson announcement came as firefighters made more progress Thursday in containing the fire.

As of 5 p.m. Thursday, the Station fire had burned at least 147,418 acres and was about 38% contained. Firefighters expected to have further information on containment after conducting infrared mapping.

Station fire incident Cmdr. Mike Dietrich said that a thick layer of smoke enveloped much of the area around the southeastern edge of the fire, limiting the use of fixed-wing aircraft and helicopters for water and fire retardant drops on the flames.

Most of the fire's growth Thursday took shape on its eastern flank, Dietrich said, where firefighters battling the blaze faced treacherous conditions, including steep terrain and rolling rocks.

Six members of a New Mexico hot shot crew were hospitalized Thursday afternoon, two with moderate injuries and four more with minor injuries, after what was deemed a hazmat incident at the fire's northeastern edge.

On the western edge of the fire, crews managed to cut a series of breaks to further protect the area around Pacoima Canyon, and Dietrich said that they have between a mile and a mile and a half more line to cut there.

Meanwhile, it appeared that both Mt. Wilson and the nearby Stony Ridge Observatory had escaped the worst.

Fire lines around Mt. Wilson, home to a historic observatory and communications towers, appeared to be holding, Dietrich said. "Crews have made excellent progress the last couple days and we're beginning to reap those benefits."

Still, forest officials were guarded in their optimism. In advance of the Labor Day weekend, they took the additional precaution of temporarily closing a huge southern chunk of the Angeles National Forest, stretching from the Grapevine to the 15 Freeway. Under the order, which went into effect at noon Thursday, anyone violating the closure could be fined or jailed.

Baca said that the fire had wreaked havoc on the lives of so many in Southern California.

"I am angry," he said. "Everyone should be angry. There is an appropriate level of anger here. This fire destroyed half of one of the best natural resources, the Angeles National Forest. It sent thousands from their homes . . . and above all else cost the lives of two heroic firefighters."

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Phillip Garrido's past reveals another rape charge

In 1972, four years before being convicted of kidnapping and rape, the suspected captor of Jaycee Lee Dugard was arrested for allegedly drugging and raping a 14-year-old girl near Antioch, Calif.

Phillip Garrido, who was convicted in a 1976 kidnapping and rape, was arrested four years earlier for allegedly drugging and raping a 14-year-old girl near his hometown, police in Antioch, Calif., revealed Thursday for the first time.

Garrido was arrested last week on suspicion of kidnapping and raping Jaycee Lee Dugard, who was 11 when she was snatched from her street in South Lake Tahoe in 1991 and was allegedly kept in a hidden backyard warren of sheds and tents for 18 years.

At a news conference Thursday, Antioch police revealed previously unknown details of the 1972 arrest that they had learned from the alleged victim, who contacted police after Garrido's recent arrest.

"She has a lot of concern about the things Mr. Garrido has done since the time of the '72 incident," Antioch Police Lt. Leonard Orman said.

Also on Thursday, Dugard's aunt spoke at a news conference in Los Angeles about how her niece has fared since she turned herself in to Antioch police last week, prompting the arrest of Garrido, 58, and his wife, Nancy, 54.

"This is a joyful time for my family," said Tina Dugard, the sister of Dugard's mother.

Antioch police were aware of the 1972 arrest before the woman contacted them but needed to talk to her to verify information that had been lost or destroyed. "It's been 37 years and those reports have not been saved. The case was dead back then," Sgt. Steve Bias said. "A lot of the information came from the victim herself."

The victim, whose name was not released by police, was with a male friend at the Antioch Public Library in April 1972 when she encountered Garrido, Orman said. Garrido offered the pair a ride, then took them to a nearby motel, now called the Riverview Motel, where he supplied them with barbiturates.

The victim went willingly, although she did not know Garrido, Bias said. "It's our understanding that it was a let's-go-party situation," he said.

He said the victim passed out in the motel room. She awoke to discover that she had been raped by Garrido, who was still there, Bias said, adding that police believe the rape continued at that point.

The girl's parents later found her at the motel and called police, who responded and arrested Garrido, Orman said. Garrido was charged with rape, contributing to the delinquency of a minor and providing narcotics to a minor, but the charges were later dropped, Orman said.

Bias said the victim did not want to testify. "A lot of victims of sexual assault just don't want to get up there and go over the details," he said.

The victim also did not want to speak publicly, Bias said.

"She's very emotional about it," he said. "This lady wants to be left alone."

Riverview Motel owner Chetan Patel, 38, said his family bought the 64-year-old, 23-room, single-story motel in 1984. Although the low-cost motel is in a seedy area, Patel had never heard about sexual assaults there and said he was surprised to be inundated with calls and visits from reporters after the police announcement Thursday.

"We haven't had any situation like that ever since we've been here," Patel said.

Four years after Garrido's arrest in the rape of the 14-year-old, he was arrested again on charges of kidnapping and raping Katherine Callaway, 25, whom he abducted in South Lake Tahoe and held captive in a Reno storage shed.

Prosecutors tried to introduce evidence that, about an hour before Garrido abducted Callaway, he had attempted to abduct another woman. As he did with Callaway, Garrido had approached the woman for a ride, got in her car, directed her to another street, then grabbed and handcuffed one of her wrists, according to federal court documents. Before Garrido could handcuff the woman's other wrist, she jumped out of the car and escaped, court records show.

Garrido was sentenced to 50 years in federal prison in the 1976 case, but was paroled in 1988 and allegedly abducted Dugard in 1991. Police say she bore him two daughters, now 11 and 15.

Dugard and her daughters are now in seclusion at an unknown location with her mother. Tina Dugard, her aunt, said she recently visited with them.

"We spent time sharing memories and stories and getting to know each other again," she said. "Jaycee remembers all of us. She is especially enjoying getting to know her little sister, who was just a baby when Jaycee was taken."

Tina Dugard described Jaycee Dugard's daughters, who have never been to school, as "clever, articulate, curious girls" who were home-schooled by their mother during their captivity.

"We are so proud of her," Dugard said.

She said her sister has been savoring her time with her daughter and granddaughters.

"The smile on my sister's face is as wide as the sea," Dugard said. "Her oldest daughter is finally home."

The family has set up a trust fund. Checks can be sent to the Jaycee Lee Dugard Trust Fund, c/o Viewtech, P.O. Box 596, Atwood, CA 92811.

18 killed in Juarez clinic for addicts

The shooting in the violent border city points at Mexico's growing domestic drug market and abuse problem.

The deed was stomach-turning: Hooded gunmen burst into a Ciudad Juarez drug treatment center, gathered together those inside and lined them up before opening fire with semiautomatic weapons. When the shooting was over, 18 people were dead.

Attention focused immediately on the site of Wednesday night's killings: a rehab center, where addicts go to get clean, suggesting a new level of depravity in Mexico's drug violence.

Theories abounded: The victims were targets of rival gang members. They owed money to the wrong people. They were pawns in a turf war between cartels that has made Ciudad Juarez the scene of a bloody death match for 20 months.

Odds are that the slayings, like hundreds of others in the border city, will never be solved. The crime is a further sign of the chaos enveloping Ciudad Juarez and a reminder of another tragic development that has accompanied the flow of cocaine and other drugs through Mexico: a big and growing problem of local drug addiction.

What was remarkable about the rehab center killings was how unremarkable that sort of violence has become in the city, which has seen about 3,000 violent deaths since the start of last year. True, the attack stood out for the spot where it took place, and the toll was higher than the usual daily tick-tick of slayings in ones, twos, sixes, 10s.

In the previous week, at least 75 people were killed in the city, including a man who was beheaded, another suspended by handcuffs from a chain-link fence and four whose bodies were piled on a sidewalk.

Those killings went largely unnoticed outside Ciudad Juarez. And there was little fanfare last week when the Mexican army announced the arrests in the city of three men it said had confessed to killing 211 people. It provided almost no details on the allegations.

The clinic killings, which President Felipe Calderon labeled "dramatic and terrible," underscored Mexico's emerging struggle with drug abuse. Mexican leaders say some of the country's escalating violence is connected to growing domestic consumption, which is sparking turf battles over local markets. Once merely a pipeline for narcotics bound for the United States, Mexico is now grappling with its own problem of drug use and addiction.

"Criminal activity went from being low profile and non-intrusive in the lives of citizens to being defiant and, particularly, violent," Calderon said in his state of the nation speech Wednesday.

"The search for markets for consumption in Mexico has spread practically throughout the whole country," the Mexican president said, defending his government's 33-month-old offensive against drug traffickers.

Government data show that addiction rates here have risen quickly as residents experiment with relatively cheap versions of cocaine and methamphetamine. It has gotten easier to find drugs on the street in Mexico because tighter U.S. border enforcement has made it harder to move them north, some experts say.

A government survey released last year found that more than 460,000 Mexicans were addicted to drugs, a 51% increase from six years earlier.

In response, thousands of clinics have sprung up around the country, many of them small fly-by-night operations that are largely unregulated.

The Ciudad Juarez clinic, a converted house called El Aliviane and one of dozens of such centers in the city, sits in a neighborhood next to the border that is plagued by gangs, prostitution and drug use. On Thursday, the floor of the pink-painted house was coated with blood.

The attack followed assaults on at least four other rehabilitation clinics in the city during the last 13 months, according to news reports. In one attack last year, gunmen killed eight patients and wounded six.

Victor Valencia, public security secretary for the state of Chihuahua, said 20 people were in a meeting room when the attackers burst in. The gunmen ushered them into a central patio and opened fire with AK-47 assault rifles, he said. Investigators found at least 80 spent casings. Two of the victims were wounded but survived.

The father of Jaime Saul Perez, a 17-year-old who was slain, said his son had finished eight months of rehab but continued living at the center to attend prayer meetings.

"He was getting out," said Jaime Perez, the father. "He promised me he was going to change."

Valencia, interviewed on Mexican television, said the slayings may have stemmed from a dispute between rival criminal gangs. El Diario newspaper reported that a number of the dead were members of a well-known gang called the Aztecas.

Alberto Islas, a Mexico City-based security specialist, theorized that the slayings were in retaliation for a weekend shooting that killed eight people at a street party in the neighboring state of Sinaloa.

"We are entering a new dimension of terrorist attacks between cartels," Islas said.

Others said the Ciudad Juarez attack was the latest episode of killings of young members of street gangs who use or sell drugs. Mayor Jose Reyes Ferriz told The Times several months ago that the death toll in his city was rising fastest among youths trying to break into the street trade in drugs.

Tony Payan, a border scholar at the University of Texas at El Paso, said the victims may have owed money to suppliers or been hit by rivals because they remained involved in the drug trade under the cover of the treatment center.

"They're after particular people," Payan said. "In the end, the people who end up in these centers are involved in the business."

Drug treatment centers in Ciudad Juarez and elsewhere in Mexico draw some clients from street gangs that serve as foot soldiers for drug cartels, particularly two rival groups based in the city and in Sinaloa. Gangs often use the facilities as recruiting grounds, creating potential targets for enemies.

Ciudad Juarez, a city of 1.3 million, has for more than a year been the scene of the worst violence in Mexico amid the government's war against drug traffickers.

More than 11,000 people have been killed nationwide since Calderon launched the crackdown in December 2006. Most of the killing is a product of fighting between drug rivals over control of coveted routes for smuggling drugs to their main destination, the United States.

Calderon has mobilized 48,000 troops and 5,000 federal police in the nationwide offensive. But despite the deployment of more than 9,000 soldiers and police to Ciudad Juarez alone, the bloodshed continues there, stemming from a variety of forces: rival cartels, conventional street gangs and small-time crooks, dirty cops and the government crackdown.

"It's a free-for-all," Payan said.

"You have a very chaotic situation."

Nearly 1 in 5 older Americans believed to be in poverty _ almost double the official rate

WASHINGTON (AP) — The official poverty rate for Americans 65 years and older has stood for years at 10 percent, the lowest rate among age groups. But the true rate could be nearly twice that high, according to a revised formula created by the National Academy of Sciences that is gaining favor among public officials, including some in the Obama administration.

The NAS formula would put the poverty rate for older Americans at 18.6 percent, or 6.8 million people, compared with 9.7 percent, or 3.6 million people, under the existing measure. The original government formula, created in 1955, doesn't take account of rising costs of medical care and other factors.

"It's a hidden problem," said Robin Talbert, president of the AARP Foundation, which provides job training and support to low-income seniors and is backing legislation that would adopt the NAS formula. "There are still many millions of older people on the edge, who don't have what they need to get by."

If the academy's formula is adopted, a more refined picture of American poverty could emerge that would capture everyday costs of necessities besides just food. The result could upend long-standing notions of those in greatest need and lead eventually to shifts in how billions of federal dollars for the poor are distributed for health, housing, nutrition and child-care benefits.

The overall official poverty rate would increase, from 12.5 percent to 15.3 percent, for a total of 45.7 million people, according to rough calculations by the Census Bureau. Data on all segments, not only the elderly, would be affected:

— The rate for children under 18 in poverty would decline slightly, to 17.9 percent.

— Single mothers and their children, who disproportionately receive food stamps, would see declines in the rates of poverty because noncash aid would be taken into account. Low-income people who are working could see increases in poverty rates, a reflection of transportation and child-care costs.

— Cities with higher costs of living, such as New York, Chicago and San Francisco, would see higher poverty rates, while more rural areas in the Midwest and South might see declines.

— The rate for extreme poverty, defined as income falling below 50 percent of the poverty line, would decrease due to housing and other noncash benefits.

— Immigrant poverty rates would go up, due to transportation costs and lower participation in government aid programs.

The changes have been discussed quietly for years in academic circles, and both Democrats and Republicans agree that the decades-old White House formula, which is based on a 1955 cost of an emergency food diet, is outdated.

The current calculation sets the poverty level at three times the annual cost of groceries. For a family of four that is $21,203. That calculation does not factor in rising medical, transportation, child care and housing expenses or geographical variations in living costs. Nor does the current formula consider noncash aid when calculating income, despite the recent expansion of food stamps and tax credits in the federal economic stimulus and other government programs. The result: The poverty rate has varied little from its current 12.5 percent.

Next week, the Census Bureau will publish official poverty figures for 2008 with a cautionary note about the shortcomings. The agency says it will expedite release of alternative numbers in the following weeks, because of the interest expressed by lawmakers and the Obama administration in seeing a fuller range of numbers.

"The current poverty measure does a very bad job of measuring the impact of quite a few of our anti-poverty policies," Rebecca Blank, the Commerce Department's undersecretary of economic affairs, said in an interview. "It isn't meaningless, but it isn't complete."

Although the White House Office of Management and Budget dictates how federal poverty is measured, legislation pending in Congress would require use of the National Academy approach. Advocates are hoping the White House may act on its own.

Cities are already showing interest.

In New York City, roughly one in three senior citizens fell below the poverty line after Mayor Michael Bloomberg adopted the new formula last year; state officials in Albany, N.Y., plan to publish their revised numbers next month. Los Angeles, Miami, Washington, San Francisco and Chicago also have been considering a switch.

When New York City changed to the new formula, a smaller percentage of children fell below the poverty line, particularly those living in single-parent homes. Residents 65 and over in poverty nearly doubled, from 18.1 percent to 32 percent.

Bloomberg, who previously pushed for cuts in programs for the elderly, now is advocating pilot programs for older residents that would reduce taxi costs, provide free bus service to get to grocery stores and offer legal aid to those at risk of eviction from their homes.

"Under this up-to-date measure, you understand that government programs have had a beneficial impact on households with single parents and children," said Linda Gibbs, New York's deputy mayor for health and human services. She expressed concern that as the official measure becomes increasingly outdated, it is redirecting social programs and funding away from the people who may need it the most.

"We wanted to look at poverty with a finer view in New York City and have an impact," Gibbs said.

Nationally, official poverty rates for older Americans have improved significantly over the past 30 years due to expansions of Social Security and Supplemental Security Income. But many older people with modest cash incomes would fall below the poverty line under the NAS formula due to out-of-pocket expenses from rising Medicare premiums, deductibles and a coverage gap in the prescription drug benefit that is known as the "doughnut hole."

The NAS figures could take on added significance at a time when the government is touting an overhaul of Medicare and Social Security as its best hope for reducing the ballooning federal debt. With the potential to add more older Americans to the ranks of the poor, the numbers may underscore a need for continued — if not expanded — old-age benefits as a government safety net.

Advocates for updating the formula note that Barack Obama indicated during the presidential campaign that he supported an improved measure as part of a broader strategy to reduce poverty.

Simon Norwood of Little Rock, Ark., 56, says he's still keeping faith in that promise. A lifelong construction worker who receives food stamps, Norwood hasn't had regular work for months once jobs dried up in the housing meltdown. He doesn't dare to think about getting sick or injured because he doesn't know whether he could cover the expenses. Now working a part-time, minimum-wage job, Norwood said it doesn't matter to him how the poverty numbers are sliced so long as people get a fair shake at getting assistance.

"I often tell my son, 'You've got to save your money. Live within your means,'" he said. "Because you never know when things might take a turn."

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On the Net:

AARP: www.aarp.org

Census Bureau: www.census.gov

Commerce Department: www.commerce.gov/

New LAPD headquarters almost ready

For now, the new Los Angeles Police Department headquarters has that new-house feel -- the smell of fresh paint, static electricity off the carpets, walls absent of any handprints.

Yet, in about two months, it will be teeming with life from police officers, politicians and the public taking advantage of its new park, a planned restaurant and the first public meeting space in more than three decades.

"We fought a lot of pressure and were able to prevent this from looking like a fortress," Councilwoman Jan Perry said Thursday during a tour of the 10-story, 500,000-square-foot complex.

Along with two nearby parking structures, $437 million went into the facility to replace the 40-year-old Parker Center.

"This was a time when all the shouting from the community paid dividends," Perry said. "We listened to their concerns, and I think we have a better building for it."

Formal opening ceremonies are planned for late October, but LAPD staff will begin moving in within the next two weeks. The new building will have space for about 2,300 workers, allowing the LAPD to consolidate many downtown activities that are now spread around other buildings.

It will be wired for computers -- including Wi-Fi access for officers -- with several large conference rooms to be outfitted with big-screen televisions and systems to upload digital presentations.

One of the key public features is a more than 400-seat civic auditorium, named after former Chief Legislative Analyst Ron Deaton, that will be used as overflow space for the Police Commission and a public gathering place for meetings.

To the south is a wide expanse of green space -- requested by the community -- adjacent to a new Police Foundation memorial and a restaurant to be called L.A. Reflections.

Within the structure there are security measures. Rows of giant palm trees at one end with large planters at another serve as effective barricades.

Off the First Street entrance a lattice work of planters, linking up to a waterfall using recycled water, serves to protect the front of the building. All plants are drought resistant, requiring a minimum amount of water "yet providing us with a palette of colors," Perry said.

The office of the chief of police, which current Chief William Bratton will surrender before he even moves in, is about the same space as he has now. But it has an open-air patio that allows views across the downtown area. The only thing above the chief's office is a helipad.

Inside the building is a utilitarian office space with gray, hard-plastic cubicles and desks being installed. Most of the computers now in use at Parker Center will be moved over to the new building until they reach their replacement cycle.

Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa said through an aide that the new building "represents the modern, progressive, state-of-the-art department the LAPD has become."

Nick Patsaouras, who headed the oversight committee on the project for several years, said the goal was to construct an attractive building while staying on budget.

"I see this imposing edifice as a reward to Chief Bratton and his troops for repairing the image of the department," Patsaouras said.

Patsaouras said the oversight committee also wanted to ensure the building would be welcoming to the public.

"That's the reason for having a plaza in front of it, so it can serve as a gathering place of open space for different occasions," Patsaouras said.

City Engineer Gary Lee Moore said he was proud the building was opening on schedule and under budget. Also, he said, the city was able to save about $70 million from the Proposition Q bond measure to enable remodeling of the former Rampart Station, as well as a new headquarters for SWAT and additional work on other police stations.

Online survey asks for public input on next LAPD chief

As the Los Angeles Police Commission begins asking the public what the city needs in its next police chief, the city Personnel Department has created an Internet survey to expand opportunities for feedback.

The survey can be viewed at www.lacity.org/PER . Visitors to the site can click on to a link at the bottom, left-hand side of the page. The site asks the public to rate different qualities they want to see in the next chief. Questions include integrity, leadership skills, recognition of the job's requirements and experience.

The Personnel Department will forward the findings to the Police Commission after Sept. 17.

Police Chief William Bratton has submitted his resignation effective Oct. 31 to give the Police Commission and Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa time to select a successor.

The commission began a series of community hearings on Wednesday to learn directly from the public what it wants to see.

http://www.dailynews.com/news/ci_13266738

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From the PPL

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LA offers Skid Row homeless leniency on citations

By CHRISTINA HOAG (AP)

LOS ANGELES — Some 200 homeless people wait outside a Skid Row shelter, clutching citation slips for minor offenses: jaywalking, sitting on a curb, pushing around shopping carts.

In the past, many would have faced stiff fines and possible arrest for neglecting the tickets. But now they are eager to settle the cases with prosecutors, who are offering to forgive the infractions in exchange for four hours of community service.

Authorities hope the new city program will ease a backlog of citations clogging the courts and resolve a nettlesome debate over ticketing people in the nation's densest concentration of homeless.

"It's a good deal," said Charles Gregory, a 47-year-old disabled man who lives on Skid Row and has two tickets for fare evasion on a commuter train. "These are $200 apiece. I can't pay that. I live in a homeless shelter."

The Los Angeles city attorney's office launched the project four months ago by posting fliers around the neighborhood announcing monthly "citation clinics."

About 500 tickets were erased after the first two clinics. Defendants could choose chores such as sweeping, serving meals, and attending support meetings for alcoholics and drug addicts.

"We're making it so people can stay out of the court system, but we're not giving it away," said Songhai Miguda-Armstead, an assistant city attorney who oversees the program. "It is a special population that needs a little more care."

Tickets have been a sore point in Skid Row since the Police Department poured 50 extra officers into the square-mile neighborhood three years ago. The initiative was aimed at cleaning up a squalid, drug-ridden area inhabited by 5,000 homeless residents.

At least half are mentally ill, and many are addicts and parolees. Some just have nowhere else to turn except the conglomeration of shelters, transient housing and rehab centers.

In such a bastion of hard luck, locals say it's unfair for their plight to be made worse with tickets.

"It's harassment," said a lanky man who gave his name as Mr. Red D. He figured he had three jaywalking tickets but wasn't sure. "I shouldn't even have these tickets," he said.

Advocates say ticketing homeless people is meaningless because they rarely have the money to pay fines that average $150 per infraction. They often end up ignoring the citations only to get ticketed again.

The result is a spiral that can turn a loitering ticket into an arrest warrant and jail sentence. Unpaid tickets can also surface when people try to get their lives back together: They show up in background checks for jobs and driver's license renewals.

"These are people who have to figure out where they're going to get their next meal from. How are they going to show up for a court date?" asked Orlando Ward, spokesman for the Midnight Mission, which hosts the citation clinic.

Some 19,000 tickets have been issued in Skid Row since police stepped up their patrols. But authorities insist that ignoring minor infractions soon creates an unruly atmosphere where major crime flourishes.

As he strode around Skid Row's teeming streets, officer Deon Joseph noted that crime in the area has dropped 36 percent since the crackdown began.

"Just because you're homeless doesn't mean you can do whatever you want," Joseph said.

He paused to tell a man drinking from a beer can in a paper bag to pour it out, and he directed others sitting on upside-down buckets to get up, making an exception for a woman with a walker.

"I got to have law and order," he said, moments before jogging down the block to assist with a drug bust.

Joseph acknowledged some young officers can be overzealous ticket-writers but said there's also flexibility. Street sleeping is permitted between 9 p.m. and 6 a.m., seriously mentally ill people are taken for help, and others are given warnings, he said.

The city attorney runs two other programs for homeless defendants: Those charged with misdemeanors can have their cases dismissed if they complete a 21-day rehabilitation program to address addiction or mental illness, and those convicted of misdemeanors can serve their sentence in residential rehab instead of jail.

For Joseph, such programs are compassionate law enforcement. "It's giving people a second chance," he said.

At the citation clinic, many people felt the tickets were unfair but were grateful they had a shot at erasing them.

Elmer Barahona said he wanted to clear a 2-year-old public drunkenness ticket and a year-old jaywalking citation so he could start anew. He was recently released from jail to enter rehab after a crack cocaine bust.

"I didn't take care of the tickets," the 38-year-old said. "I was abusing drugs, I was homeless."

Prosecutors looked up Barahona's record and directed him to sign up to read books to children.

Barahona acknowledged he hasn't accomplished many goals in his life but vowed to complete the community service. "I'm going to do it," he said. "I don't want to be arrested again."

http://www.google.com/hostednews/ap/article/ALeqM5g0ch422-ZB7uOq0pBxzfTJVMnE1AD9AG276G0

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From the Dept of Homeland Security

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Secretary Napolitano and FEMA Administrator Fugate Unveil New Ads to Encourage Emergency Preparedness

Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Secretary Janet Napolitano today joined with Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) Administrator Craig Fugate and the Ad Council to launch a new series of Ready Campaign public service advertisements (PSAs) designed to encourage all Americans to take steps to prepare for emergencies, kicking off September's National Preparedness Month.

“Preparedness is a shared responsibility that begins with the American people,” said Secretary Napolitano. “These public service advertisements highlight the simple steps everyone can take to prepare for disasters, enhancing the safety and security of our country.”

“Emergency response is a team effort, and the most important member of that team is the public,” said FEMA Administrator Craig Fugate. “The truth is, the more the public does now to prepare, the better we can respond in the future. That's why we are launching PSAs, encouraging Americans to visit Ready.gov and learn how they can do their part to prepare.”

Produced pro bono by advertising agency Cramer-Krasselt in conjunction with the Ad Council, the new Ready PSAs—produced for television, radio, print, outdoor and the Web—direct audiences to visit www.ready.gov to find national and local preparedness information and resources.

The Ready Campaign encourages Americans to take three simple steps to prepare for emergencies: (1) Put together an emergency supply kit; (2) Make a family emergency plan; and (3) Get informed about the types of emergencies that could take place in their communities and appropriate responses.

Secretary Napolitano unveiled the new PSAs at an event in New York City's Times Square, joined by New York City Office of Emergency Management Commissioner Joseph Bruno, American Red Cross President and CEO Gail McGovern, American Red Cross of Greater New York CEO Theresa Bischoff and Ad Council President and CEO Peggy Conlon.

“ Ready has made significant progress, but the farther we get from a major disaster, the more difficult the challenge in motivating Americans to prepare,” said Ad Council President and CEO Peggy Conlon, “Our new PSAs, developed in partnership with DHS, are engaging and motivating and will go a long way in increasing our country's level of preparedness.”

In addition to the national Ready PSAs launched today, New York City's new public service campaign— Ready New York —was also announced to encourage all New Yorkers to prepare for emergencies. The national Ready ads have also been localized for a number of other cities, including Austin, Texas, Atlanta, Chicago, Eugene, Ore., Houston, Kansas City, Mo., Los Angeles, and San Francisco—as well as the states of Utah and Virginia and the U.S. Navy and U.S. Virgin Islands.

Initiated in 2003, the Ready Campaign is a national public service advertising campaign designed to educate and empower Americans to prepare for and respond to all emergencies in order to raise the level of basic preparedness across the nation.

In addition to outreach via traditional media, Ready also provides a series of social media tools to help Americans prepare for emergencies, including a downloadable family emergency plan, an interactive widget that provides users with updates on emergency situations, emergency kit checklists, and preparedness guidelines.

To view the PSAs and for more information on the Ready Campaign , visit www.ready.gov or follow “ReadydotGov” on Twitter.

In August, Secretary Napolitano announced the launch of a new DHS social networking site, Our Border . The site was created to encourage and facilitate discussion about the southwest border. Our Border enables community leaders, activists and concerned citizens to discuss issues relevant to the border with each other and with the department.

This week, we opened a new forum focused on commerce and the southwest border, and specifically narrowed to four topics:

· Tourism
· Bi-National Business
· Commercial Traffic / FAST
· Passenger Traffic / SENTRI

We encourage you to visit the site and join the discussion.

There's also a section where members are encouraged to introduce themselves to the network. We wanted to share the introduction of “Ramona,” one of our members:

“I'm not a DHS employee or a community leader. I'm not even sure I can be called an activist. I firmly believe that the United States of America is the greatest country in the world and it became that way by embracing immigrants from every other countries in the world. We need to find a way to secure our borders, prevent drug, weapon and human smuggling and still allow Mexico and the United States to grow stronger as supportive neighbors.” Ramona is one of over 300 members on Our Border, and, like others, she has already joined many of the groups and has participated in a number of the discussion forums. We encourage you to visit the site and get involved in the discussion. We want to hear from you.

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United States and Mexico Announce Agreement for Cross Border Public Security Communications Network

For Immediate Release
Office of the Press Secretary
Contact: 202-282-8010
DOS Press Office: 202-647-2492

Washington/Mexico City—The Departments of Homeland Security and State announced today that senior officials on the United States-Mexico High-Level Consultative Commission on Telecommunications (HLCC) have signed a bilateral telecommunications agreement to support a new cross border communications network for public safety and law enforcement organizations focused on strengthening border security.

The agreement establishes a bilateral working group through which the Department of Homeland Security of the United States and the Secretariat of Public Security (SSP) of Mexico will coordinate the installation and operation of the network. The new network will allow participating public safety organizations to coordinate incident response and cooperate on a broad array of law enforcement activities through the establishment of new cross border voice, data and video channels.

The agreement also provides radio interference protection for the network's infrastructure and a process under which the bilateral working group can establish interoperable communications for qualifying federal, state, local and tribal public safety and law enforcement organizations that are invited to participate in the network.

The senior HLCC officials who signed the agreement were: Ambassador Philip L. Verveer, U.S. Coordinator for International Communications and Information Policy, U.S. Department of State; Ms. Gabriela Hernandez Cardoso, Mexico's Under Secretary of Communications; and Under Secretary Jose Francisco Niembro Gonzalez, Mexico's Under Secretary of Institutional Development and Evaluation in the SSP.

Negotiation of the agreement stemmed from a recommendation by HLCC working level officials in May 2008 to formulate a long-term plan to advance critical cross border communications networks for improving border security and combating border violence.

International arms dealer arrested for conspiracy to supply U.S. fighter jet engines to Iran

September 2, 2009

WASHINGTON - Jacques Monsieur, a Belgian national and resident of France suspected of international arms dealing for decades, was arraigned today in a federal court in Mobile, Alabama. U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) on Friday arrested Monsieur on charges alleging that he conspired to illegally export F-5 fighter jet engines and parts from the United States to Iran.

The arrest and charges were announced by Deputy Attorney General David Ogden; Eugene A. Seidel, Acting U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of Alabama; John Morton, Department of Homeland Security, Assistant Secretary for U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE); and Sharon Woods, Director of the Defense Criminal Investigative Service (DCIS).

A six-count indictment returned on August 27, 2009, in the Southern District of Alabama charging Monsieur, 56, and co-defendant Dara Fotouhi, a.k.a. Dara Fatouhi, 54, an Iranian national currently living in France, with conspiracy, money laundering, smuggling, as well as violations of the Arms Export Control Act (AECA) and the International Emergency Economic Powers Act (IEEPA).

Monsieur was arrested by federal agents last Friday upon his arrival in New York. Fotouhi remains at large. The charge of conspiracy carries a potential sentence of five years in prison, while smuggling carries a potential 10-year prison term, AECA carries a potential 10-year prison term, money laundering carries a potential 20-year prison term and IEEPA carries a potential 20-year prison term.

According to the indictment and an affidavit filed in the case, defendants Monsieur and Fotouhi are experienced arms dealers who have been actively working with the Iranian government to procure military items for the Iranian government.

The indictment alleges that, in February 2009, Monsieur contacted an undercover agent seeking engines for the F-5 (EIF) fighter jet or the C-130 military transport aircraft for export to Iran. Thereafter, Monsieur began having regular e-mail contact with the undercover agent regarding requested F-5 engines and parts.

These engines, known as J85-21 models, are replacement engines for the F-5 fighter jet that was sold to Iran by the United States before the 1979 Iranian revolution. The engines and parts are designated as defense articles on the U.S. Munitions List and may not be exported from the United States without a license from the U.S. State Department. Additionally, these items may not be exported to Iran without a license from the U.S. Treasury Department due to the U.S. trade embargo on Iran.

According to the indictment, in March 2009, Monsieur met with the undercover agent in Paris, where Monsieur again requested engines and parts for the F-5 fighter jet. In May 2009, an undercover agent met with Monsieur in London, where Monsieur introduced Dara Fotouhi as a business associate, and again discussed the illegal export of F-5 fighter jet engines from the United States to Iran. During this negotiation, the defendants allegedly asked the undercover agent if he could obtain or use U.S. shipping or export authorization documents that falsely indicated that the end user of the items would be located in Colombia.

In June 2009, according to the indictment, Monsieur sent an e-mail to the undercover agent and provided a purchase order for F-5 fighter jet parts from a front company for an organization known as Trast Aero Space, located in Kyrgyzstan. The order requested that the parts be located by the undercover agent and illegally exported to the United Arab Emirates for transshipment to Iran.

The following month, Monsieur allegedly contacted the undercover agent indicating that approximately $110,000 had been wired from Dubai to a bank account in Alabama as payment for the parts. He also indicated that a deposit of $300,000 would be forthcoming as a down payment for two F-5 fighter jet engines. In August 2009, Monsieur requested information from the undercover agent about his contact in Colombia for forwarding the aircraft parts from Colombia to the United Arab Emirates, the indictment alleges.

"The facts alleged in this indictment underscore the global reach of Iranian procurement networks and the international arms traffickers who help supply them. This case also highlights the importance of keeping restricted U.S. weapons technology out of their grasp," said Deputy Attorney General Ogden. "I applaud the many agents, analysts and prosecutors who worked tirelessly to bring about this important arrest."

Acting U.S. Attorney Eugene A. Seidel said, "The investigation and prosecution of cases such as this one will have a significant deterrent impact on illegal arms trafficking and will enhance our national security. Foreign governments and illegal arms dealers should know that there are no 'safe harbors' for this type of commerce. We all owe a debt of gratitude to the dedicated investigators, agency analysts, and prosecutors who helped bring about the arrest and indictment of the defendant."

"Those who seek to illegally send dangerous weapons to Iran will never quite know whether the 'merchant' they're dealing with is actually the long arm of the law," said John Morton, the Department of Homeland Security Assistant Secretary for ICE. "ICE is committed to combating the flow of arms and sensitive technologies abroad and will utilize all of its resources to do so."

"Safeguarding our military equipment and technology is vital to our nation's defense and the protection of our war fighters," said Director Sharon Woods, Director of the Defense Criminal Investigative Service. "We know that foreign governments are actively seeking our equipment for their own military development. Thwarting these efforts is a top priority of the DCIS. I applaud the agents and prosecutors who worked tirelessly to bring about this result."

This investigation was conducted by the Department of Homeland Security's U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) and the Department of Defense's Defense Criminal Investigative Service (DCIS).

The prosecution is being handled by Assistant U.S. Attorney Gregory A. Bordenkircher of the U.S. Attorney's Office for the Southern District of Alabama, with assistance from the Counterespionage Section of the Justice Department's National Security Division.

An indictment is a formal accusation and is not proof of guilt. Defendants are presumed innocent until and unless they are found guilty.

Judge Urges Mediation in 'Honor Killing' Custody Case

Rifqa Bary's Dad Says Claims of Honor Killing Work of Christian Pastor

Raising Stakes: Sexual, Physical Abuse Claims

Station fire an act of arson, sheriff's officials say

Investigators found incendiary material near the point of origin of the largest brush fire in the history of Los Angeles County. More than 147,000 acres have burned.

In 1972, four years before being convicted of kidnapping and rape, the suspected captor of Jaycee Lee Dugard was arrested for allegedly drugging and raping a 14-year-old girl near Antioch, Calif.

18 killed in Juarez clinic for addicts

The shooting in the violent border city points at Mexico's growing domestic drug market and abuse problem.

Nearly 1 in 5 older Americans believed to be in poverty _ almost double the official rate

New LAPD headquarters almost ready

Online survey asks for public input on next LAPD chief

Secretary Napolitano and FEMA Administrator Fugate Unveil New Ads to Encourage Emergency Preparedness

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United States and Mexico Announce Agreement for Cross Border Public Security Communications Network

International arms dealer arrested for conspiracy to supply U.S. fighter jet engines to Iran

Judge Urges Mediation in 'Honor Killing' Custody Case

Rifqa Bary's Dad Says Claims of Honor Killing Work of Christian Pastor

Raising Stakes: Sexual, Physical Abuse Claims

Station fire an act of arson, sheriff's officials say

Investigators found incendiary material near the point of origin of the largest brush fire in the history of Los Angeles County. More than 147,000 acres have burned.

In 1972, four years before being convicted of kidnapping and rape, the suspected captor of Jaycee Lee Dugard was arrested for allegedly drugging and raping a 14-year-old girl near Antioch, Calif.

18 killed in Juarez clinic for addicts

The shooting in the violent border city points at Mexico's growing domestic drug market and abuse problem.

Nearly 1 in 5 older Americans believed to be in poverty _ almost double the official rate

New LAPD headquarters almost ready

Online survey asks for public input on next LAPD chief

Secretary Napolitano and FEMA Administrator Fugate Unveil New Ads to Encourage Emergency Preparedness

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ United States and Mexico Announce Agreement for Cross Border Public Security Communications Network

International arms dealer arrested for conspiracy to supply U.S. fighter jet engines to Iran

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United States and Mexico Announce Agreement for Cross Border Public Security Communications Network